Solar Powered Charging Trailer
Problem statement
Electric bikes are becoming a popular recreation activity during the summer that many people enjoy. Garret Olsen with Madison Adventure Tours wants to allow the community to enjoy electric bikes without the burden of purchasing them. Our team needs to modify a trailer to store and transport these bikes safely across the city. This trailer will use solar-energy to charge the bike batteries overnight. The trailer will be specifically designed to house 15 bikes, a charging array, and an area for extra equipment storage. A solar powered charging array aligns with the company’s mission to make sustainability enjoyable. The solar charging array will also reduce the cost of electricity for the company. Solar panels take on average about nine years to recover the invested expense and the average lifespan of a solar panel is about 25-30 years [1]. Garret’s budget for the solar panels is about $2000, and he will make his money back in about 18 years, using his trailer during the summer months. Existing solutions are having permanent charging stations, like Bcycle, or a trailer with built-in bike racks. These options will not work for our problem. Garret wants to take his service all across the Dane county area so he has to be mobile, and the only available trailers pre-built with bike racks are open to the environment and would decrease the lifespan of the e-bikes. Ultimately, our solution will allow Madison Adventure Tours to successfully run their business by charging and storing their bicycles. [1] Hurst, Josh. “Solar Panel Payback Period (How Long To Recoup Costs?).” EcoWatch, 2023, https://www.ecowatch.com/solar/solar-panel-payback.
Team members
Sean Barada – leader
Jacob Servais – communicator
Chase Yankowski – accountant
Joe Stoa – admin
Client
Garret Olsen, Madison Adventure Tours